Graduate Journal of Social GJSS Science ‘Do We Scare Ya’ Cuz, We’re Not Afraid To Fuck?’1: Queer-feminist Punk Countercultures, Theory, Art and Action Katharina Wiedlack The article investigates areas of knowledge production in contemporary queer-feminist punk countercultures in/from the US and draws a connec- tion from countercultural accounts to academic anti-social queer theory. Based on the thesis that queer-feminist punk–countercultures, bands, mu- sicians, writers and organizers–can be understood as a political move- ment, their productions—lyrics, writing, sound and performances—will be seen as a form of queer-feminist activism and agency. The main argument developed in the article is that queer-feminist punk countercultural agents do not only engage with queer and feminist politics, as well as academic theory, but also produce queer-feminist political theory—a more or less coherent set of ideas to analyze, explain and counter oppressive social structures, as well as explicit and open violence and oppression. Queer-feminist punk musicians combine decolonial and antiracist accounts with their specific punk philosophy of anti-social queerness or queer negativity. Lyrical content, and writing will be analyzed to show examples of queer-feminist anti-social accounts of punk music. Relating such queer-feminist punk negativity to academic concepts and schol- arly work, it will be shown how punk rock is capable of negotiating and communicating academic queer-feminist theoretical positions in a non- academic setting. Moreover, it will be proven that queer-feminist punk does not only negotiate, translate and appropriate academic accounts, but also produces similar negative and repoliticized queer-feminist theories without any direct inspiration through academic discourses. Furthermore, it will be proposed that queer-feminist punk communities accomplish what academic queer theory following the anti-social turn often does not: they transform their radically anti-social queer positions into (models for) liveable activism/artivism. Keywords: Anti-social Queer Theory, Punk Rock, Riot Grrrl, Queercore, Queer-feminism, Artivism, Radical Theory, Music, Activism. Graduate Journal of Social Science September 2013, Vol. 10, Issue 3 © 2013 by Graduate Journal of Social Science. All Rights Reserved. ISSN: 1572-3763 16 GJSS Vol 10, Issue 3 This article seeks to challenge today, and are mostly known as contemporary cultural discourses of queercore, homocore or dykecore, the relationship between counter- as well as riot grrrl. Although bands cultural activism, art and academia. and individuals use different labels To be more precise, it questions the and self-identifications, strong con- popular hierarchical view that aca- nections between the individual pro- demia is the place of theory produc- tagonists, scenes, as well as their tion, whereas art and activism ideal- artistic and political discourses can ly rework or appropriate (academic) easily be found. Accordingly, it can theory for their specific purposes. be argued that queer-feminist punk Against this view, I claim that coun- countercultures belong to or form tercultural spheres and protagonists a political movement and that their have not only inspired academia by productions – lyrics, writing, sound providing subjects/objects for aca- and performances – are their form of demic analysis, but have also con- queer-feminist activism and agency. tributed to the field of queer studies Following this line of thought, I want with their autonomous queer-femi- to stress my argument again that nist theories. In other words, I argue queer-feminist punk countercultur- that countercultural spaces are im- al agents do not only engage with portant places of theory production queer and feminist politics, as well and that the theories they produce as academic theory, but also pro- are often transferred to and incor- duce queer-feminist political theory porated by academia only retroac- – a more or less coherent set of tively. ideas and practices to analyze, ex- The countercultural field or sub- plain and counter oppressive social ject my article is going to question for structures, as well as explicit, open its relationship to (academic) queer violence and oppression. theory is contemporary queer-femi- The usage of the terminology of nist punk in/from the US. The theo- queer-feminist politics – rather than retical discourse – which arguably queer politics – is inspired by the can be found in queer-feminist punk queer and feminist punk musicians, rock predating or paralleling their who account for the still prevalent academic hype – is anti-social queer sexism, misogyny and oppression theory. The term queer-feminist punk against ‘women’ in mainstream cul- subsumes North-American (includ- tures, as well as punk and queer ing Canadian) countercultures, as movements, by foregrounding the well as individual bands, musicians, feminist aspects of their queer poli- writers and organizers, their politics tics. Their usage of queer feminist or and productions that promote queer, queer-feminist falls into line with the trans, inter and/or feminist politics. practice of many activist collectives They emerged between 1985 and all over the world who understand Wiedlack: Queer-feminist Punk Countercultures 17 that feminism is ‘not just about ‘high art’ and uses very ‘unartsy’ women(‘s issues), [but] it is [also] a methods (besides a very ‘unaca- gendered power sensitive perspec- demic’ language). Hence, queer- tive on all aspects of life as devel- feminist punk rarely gets labeled as oped in various ideas and practices art. I want to challenge the concept that need to be addressed again of art by stressing the artistic as- and again’ (The Feminist Salon. pects of punk rock. To appropriately Flyer. Amsterdam. April 2007, quot- account for the art as well as activist ed in Baumgartinger 2009, 48). aspects of queer-feminist punk rock More recently, similar politics have I will proceed to use the label artiv- found their way into academic ac- ism. counts, for example through the The term artivism nicely de- work of Mimi Marinucci (2010), José scribes the close entanglement be- Muñoz (1999; 2009), Judith Jack tween creativity and protest, style Halberstam (2005; 2011b), and oth- and meaning, action and experi- ers. Such activist, queer-feminist ence. Additionally, it offers a usage punk and academic accounts con- or appropriation of the word art that ceptualize their queer politics as a accounts for a form of art that is not continuation of feminist movements as serious and sophisticated but and theory rather than as a revolu- is instead playful, whilst nonethe- tionary break from it. Furthermore, less important and full of meaning. such accounts seek a dialogue be- Moreover, the term is strongly con- tween lesbian and gay movements, nected to the Dream Act movement second wave feminists and the di- in the US, as well as to Occupy verse range of queer movements to movements all over the world, to is- build alliances and forms of solidar- sues of migration, citizenship, and ity. international Latina/o and Chicana Although I want to emphasize the solidarity in general. Accordingly, it political aspects of queer-feminist is a reminder of the important issues punk rock, as well as academic the- often ignored in reference to queer- ory, the artistic aspect of the coun- feminist punk rock, and queer art and tercultural movement should not be activism in general, especially un- forgotten. Queer-feminist punk rock der the assumption that queerness is not imaginable without punk mu- as well as punk rock is exclusively sic, punk aesthetic and style. It in- a ‘white’ subcultural thing. Contrary habits the transparent and shifting to this ignorance, I want to stress borders between activism, art and that queer-feminist punk counter- theory production. However, queer- cultures are strongly involved in all feminist punk rock is also a move- these movements. So far, the term ment that foregrounds d.i.y. politics, artivism again is used to perforate distinguishes itself strongly from the imagination of countercultural 18 GJSS Vol 10, Issue 3 borders that do not account for lived ‘Raise ‘em high / Let it hang / collaborations. Clinch your fist / And sissy, One theoretical discourse of Dang:’2 Radically Queer queer-feminist punk countercultures Considering contemporary usag- which seems to be shared among es of the term queer within theory as many, if not most musicians, groups well as institutionalized queer poli- and circles centers queerness as tics, I claim that queer-feminist punk something destructive, anti-social offers a perspective on queerness and radically political. In the follow- as well as models for queer and ing, I analyze lyrical content, writing, feminist critique and social activism music, sound, performances and able to counter the ongoing inclu- countercultural settings to show ex- sion of queerness into neoliberal amples of anti-social queer-feminist capitalism. Such politics are able punk theory, starting with a brief to reactivate the radical potential description of an anti-social punk the term and concept queer used to understanding of queer and queer- have in earlier times. ness. Next, I will show how queer- The line ‘Raise ‘em high / Let it feminist punks theorize anti-social hang / Clinch your fist / And sissy, queerness using and reframing an- Dang’, which I used as subhead- archist philosophy. Moreover, I show ing, is from the song ‘Sissy Dang’ how queer-feminist punk musicians by the contemporary queer-feminist combine ‘decolonial’ and antiracist punk band Agatha from Seattle, accounts with their specific punk Washington. The song is a very philosophy of anti-social queerness good example of the attempt to re- or queer negativity. By relating such radicalize and re-politicize queer- queer-feminist punk negativity to ness within US-based activist and academic concepts and scholarly punk discourses and beyond. It is work, I show how punk rock nego- a call to arms against ‘Assimilation tiates, creates and communicates [which] wears out the soul,’ as the queer-feminist theoretical positions song states.